


At the End of It All

by Eternaladdict



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-26
Updated: 2013-02-26
Packaged: 2017-12-03 17:57:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 260
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/701053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eternaladdict/pseuds/Eternaladdict
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Pointless morbid little piece.  Arthur trying to avoid his guilt.</p>
            </blockquote>





	At the End of It All

"Did you know?"

Gaius is cleaning and labeling remedies, his back turned to Arthur. He doesn’t seem surprised by the interruption but it’s hard to tell.

"All this time...under your roof. You must have known."

The physician gives no sign to having heard the question, doesn’t pause in his work. Each finished bottle is placed back onto the shelf with careful precision but Arthur can see the tremor in the old man’s hands.

"He loved you! If you’d told him to stop, I know he would have". Arthur can feel his voice cracking, won’t tolerate the shame of tears. He swallows hard against the sensation in his throat.

"But you didn’t and now he..."

He can’t finish what he wants to say, can’t seem to put the words death and Merlin in the same sentence. There’s too much anger, too much loss. He’s choking on it.

"You could have made him stop" he repeats again instead, like it’s the verdict of a court, a final proof of Gaius’ collaboration. Of his guilt.

The elder man moves to face him, the corners of his mouth turned up in something like a smile, skin pulled taut, hiding flesh and bone and something else, something broken. The glass bottles gleam in the sunlight, standing to attention in perfect rows. Like soldiers before a battle, ready for their orders.

Arthur doesn’t wait for an answer. He turns and flees the eyes of a man with nothing left to lose.

Tomorrow he’ll let them burn a boy who would have died to save him.


End file.
